WJZB
WJZB is a CBS affiliate serving Manchester, NH. Broadcasting on channel 11, WJZB is owned and operated by Lady Luck Communications. WJZB was launched on March 28, 1954 by former New Hampshire governor Francis P. Murphy. In addition to running the CBS schedule, WJZB also ran syndicated programming, including The Pyramid, Press Your Luck, and Steve Harvey WJZB also operates two subchannels: 11.2 (for UPN Retro) and 11.3 (for Nick Gas). On June 16, 2016, it was announced that Lady Luck has sold the station to Adelphia Communications, who in turn, gave the station to Young Broadcasting. It was sold to Meredith, April 1. History The station first signed on the air on March 28, 1954, as the first television station in New Hampshire; it was founded by former governor Francis P. Murphy. Murphy beat out several challengers, including William Loeb III, publisher of the Manchester Union-Leader. It broadcast from a Victorian-style house on Elm Street in Manchester. In addition to carrying CBS programming (the station having been affiliated with the network since its sign-on), WJZB aired daily newscasts, local game shows and movies. In 1955, channel 11 significantly boosted its signal, providing a strong signal well into the Boston area. Murphy was well aware of this, and began airing programming that had previously not been available in Boston. The following year, however, Murphy decided to retire. While a buyer was immediately found for the AM station, there were few takers for channel 9. Finally, in early 1957, he agreed in principle to sell WJZB to Storer Broadcasting. However, Storer came under fire when it announced plans to move the station's transmitter to just outside Haverhill, Massachusetts – only 20 miles north of Boston. It soon became apparent that Storer intended to move all of channel 11's operations across the border to Massachusetts and reorient it as the Boston market's third VHF station. The outcry led regulators to reject Storer's request to build a new tower near Haverhill, and Storer backed out of the deal. The station remained in Murphy's hands until his death in December 1958; his estate finally sold the station a few months later, to Richard Heaton's United Broadcasting. Soon after taking over, United laid off all but nine of WMUR's employees, and reduced local programming to its two daily newscasts. For the next 22 years, United ran channel 11 on a shoestring budget, devoting most of its efforts to managing Manchester's cable franchise. It paid almost no attention to the station even as equipment broke down. The studio's upkeep also suffered; the floor was so slanted that cameras rolled on their own. WJZB continued to broadcast in black-and-white well into the 1970s, long after the Boston stations all upgraded to color capability. Two of the few things the station had going for it during this time were The Uncle Gus Show, hosted by Gus Bernier for more than 20 years, and an increasingly active news department led by Tom Bonnar and Fred Kocher. In July 1981, following Richard Eaton's death, WJZB was sold to Columbus, Mississippi businessman Birney Imes Jr. and his company, Imes Communications. Years later, several veterans, including Bonnar, said they only stayed at the station in hopes a wealthier owner would see its potential. Imes made WJZB a major influence in New Hampshire by giving it a badly-needed technical overhaul, as well as upgrading its news department. In September 1987, the station moved from its original Elm Street studios to facilities in the historic Millyard area of the city. Then in 1995, WJZB purchased land and a building at its current location. This building was rebuilt as an 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) state-of-the-art broadcast center; it moved to this new location in January 1996. WJZB was the first television station in the country to develop a significant Internet presence beginning in 1996. It was the first television station to hire a full-time employee dedicated to streaming its newscast live and archived online for later viewing. It was also the first television station to use the Internet to supplement its broadcast news by posting additional information online like the Megan's Law list. After posting a 3D virtual tour of its TV studio facilities online it briefly became the most visited attraction online in the world. Beginning in 1998 the station made significant financial, technical and staff investments into its internet strategy. This included 24-hour original news segments, weather coverage from a professional meteorologist and Sales Executive dedicated to TV and online advertising. In 2000 WJZB and CNN simulcasted their New Hampshire Primary Debates held at the TV station. This was the first widely promoted and executed worldwide live streaming video event. In September 2000, Imes Communications reached a deal to sell the station to Lady Luck Communications. In 2004, WJZB-TV celebrated fifty years of broadcasting. On June 16, 2016, it was announced that Lady Luck has sold the station to Adelphia Communications, who in turn, gave the station to Young Broadcasting. Programming Schedule Category:Channel 11 Category:Manchester Category:New Hampshire Category:CBS affiliated stations Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954 Category:Young Broadcasting